Dispenser for receptacles



April 19, 1966 o. w. sToNE DISPENSER FOR RECEPTACLES 2 Sheets-Shea?l 1 Filed July 2, 1964 Arm/yay April 19, 1966 m. w. STONE 3,246,798

DISPENSER FOR RECEPTACLES Filed July 2, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m mmc. 04P/son# S70/YE United States Patent O 3,246,798 DISPENSER FOR RECEPTACLES @risen W. Stone, Vailey Cottage. NX., assignor to Deveopak, Ine., New York, NX., a corporation of NewYork Filed ulv 2, 1964. Ser. No. 379,865 Ciaims. (Cl. 221-63) This invention relates to dispensing ycartons or containers, and in particular to containers adapted to support a stack of paper cups tobe dispensed one at a time.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved construction of a paper cup dispensing carton.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a paper cup dispensing 4container which is formed from a single pre-cut and scored blank of paperboard or like sheet material.

Still another obj-ect of the present invention is the provision of such a carton or container constructed with novel means designed to ensure release of only one cup at a time from the container.

A more specific object of the present invention is the provision of a paper cup dispensing container in which `a pair of opposed cup-retaining elements are deiined, said elements being relatively rigid and Iunyielding in response to the pressure of a passing cup.

A related object of the present invention is the provision lof a cup dispensing container as aforesaid in which a main body section and a bottom end section can be telescoped toward one another so as to define the said cup-retaining elements.

The foregoing and other objects, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description thereof when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG., 1 is an elevational view, in perspective, of a paper cup dispensing container constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan View, on a reduced scale, of an unfolded one-piece blank of sheet material employed to make the container shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged elevational view, in perspective, of an empty dispensing container and illustrates the body and bottom end sections in an extended condition;

FIG. 4 is a sectional View taken along the line 4 4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 5 5 in FIG. 1 and illustrates the container with the `cups stacked therein and ready to be dispensed therefrom; Y

FIG. 6 is a sectional View taken along the line 6 6 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a sectional vew similar to FIG. 5 and illustrates the extraction of the lowermost cup from the dispensing con-tainer; and

FIGS. 8 and 9 are sectional views taken, respectively, along the lines 8 8 and 9 9 in FIG. 7.

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, it will be seen that a paper cup dispensing container 10 (FIG. l) according to the present invention, designed for dispensing a plurality of paper cups 11 one at a time lfrom a stack of such cups arranged within the container, is made from a one-piece blank .12 (FIG. 2) of paperboard or other suitable sheet material. The container comprises a main body 13, a bottom end section 14, an upper end closure 15, and a lowerl end closure 16 (FIG. 4). p

As clearly shown in FIG. 2, the body-forming part 3,245,798 Patented Apr. 19, 1966 of the blank 12 is divi-ded into a plurality of contiguous rectangular panels 17 to 21 by a plurality of parallel fold lines 22 to 25 extending lengthwise of the blank. The two corners of each of the panels 18 to 21 at one end thereof are angularly cut away. Similarly, the bottom end section-forming part of the blank is divided into a plurality of contiguous, essentially rectangular panels 26 to 30 by a plurality of parallel fold lines 31 to 34 longitudinally aligned with the fold lines Z2 to 25, respectively. The panels 27 to 30 are connected along transverse scorings or fold lines 27a to 30a to respective panels 27h to 3lib which'are angularly cut away essentially in the same manner as the panels 18 to 21. The panels 2711 and 291), on the one hand, are joined at their Vna-rrowest ends to the narrowed ends of the panels 18 and 26, respectively, along a pair of longitudinally aligned fold lines 35 and 36. The panels 2811 and 31th, on the other hand, are joined at their narrowest ends to a pair of relatively small panels 37 and 33 along respective fold lines 39 and 4t), and the panels 37 and 38 in turn 4are joined to the nar- -rowed ends of the panels 19 and 21 along respective fold lines 411 and 42. For a reason to be more fully explained hereinafter, the fold lines 35 and 36 are located in a plane intermediate the planes of the pairs of fold lines 39-41 and 461-42.

It will be seen, therefore, that each of the combination panels 13-27/5-27 and 204291749 is provided at its opposite sides with a pair of V-shaped recesses substantially symmetrical relative to the fold lines 35 and 36, while each of the combination panels 19-37-28b-28 and 21-3836b30 is provided at its opposite sides with a pair of substantially V-shaped recessesessentially symmetrical relative to the panels 37 and 38. The recesses located interiorly of the blank thus de-ine three essenially diamond-shaped -openings to which further reference will be made hereinafter. Y

The upper end closure-forming part of the blank 12 comprises an essentially square panel 43 connected at one end to the full-width end of the panel 20 along a fold line 44 and connected at its opposite sides along fold lines 45 and 445 to a pair of essentially triangular panels 47 and 48 which in turn are connected along fol-d lines 49 and 50 to the full-width ends of the panels 19 and 21. The panels 47 and 48 are bisected by fold lines 51 and 52. The end closure section 15 further comprises a tuck flap 53 connected to the full-width end of the panel 18 along a fold line 54 and constituted by a pair of panels 55 and 56 connected to one another along a fold line 57. The flap 53 is completely separated from the panel 47, as shown at v58.

The lower end closure-forming part of the blank 12 comprises a pair of panels 59 and Gti connected along scorings or tearrlines 61 and 62 to 4the end section panels 27 and 29, respectively, and a pair of panels 63 and 64 connected to the end section panels 2S and 30 along respective scorings or tear lines 65 and 66. The panels 59 and 60 are essentially rectangular in outline except for being notched or Irecessed at their free end edges and having one corner cut away, while the panels 63 and64 are essentially trapezoidal in outline, with one side edge extending perpendicularly to the tear lines' 65 and 66 and with the other side edge extending obliquely relative to said tear lines.

Referring again to the body-forming part of the blank 12, the panel 1S is provided adjacent its narrowed end with an oblong scoring or tear line 67, thereby defining a punch-out portion 63 which can be punched o-r torn out to leave in the panel 18 Aan opening or window 69 (FIG. 1). The panel 29 is likewise provided with an oblong opening or window 74) which is considerably longer than the opening 69 and is normally covered by a strip '70a plastic material. The panel 20 is further provided with a small punch-out portion 71 which upon removal provides a key-shaped opening 72 (see FlG. l).

To `form the container 10, the lower end closure panels 59, 60, 63 and 64 are lfirst folded up against the inside surfaces of the respective panels 27 to 30 along the fold lines 61, 62, 65 and 66, whereupon the entire blank 12 is folded into a flat structure along the fold lines 2-3-32 and 25-34 so as to dispose the combination panels 18- 2717-27 and 2.1-38-30be30 at against 4the combination panels 1S-37-28b-28 and 2i-29b-29, respectively. Concurrently, then, the relatively narrow panel 17 is glued or adhesively bonded to the inner surface of the adjacent free edge region of the panel 21, the small panel 26l is glued or bonded to the inner surface of the adjacent free edge region of the panel 311, and the inside surfaces of the smaller corner portions of the lower end closure panels 59 yand 60 subtended by fold lines 73 and 74 are glued or bonded to the outside surfaces of correspondingly dimensioned corner portions of the panels 63 and 64. The lower end closure thus lis completed at the same time as the container itself.

The container is generally shipped, while in such flatfolded state, from the manufacturer to a user such as a distributor of cup-filled dispensing containers. It will be understood that la fourth-diamond-shaped opening (three were previously mentioned herein in connection with the description of the blank 12) is formed when the combination panel 1\8-Z7b-27 is juxtaposed to the combination panel 2168-301130 during the folding of the blank 12. The function of these openings will be more specically referred to hereinafter.

It is to be noted that as a part of the manufacture of the container 10, the panel 20 of the blank 12 will usually have printed thereon adversing material, e.g. the name of the distributor or manufacturer of the cups, trademarks, and the like, vvhile the other panels 18, 19 and 21 will usually have printed thereon purely decorative or esthetically attractive designs. The reason for this arrangement will lbecome clear as the description proceeds.

In order to prepare it `for use, the empty carton 1! is opened by applying light pressure to the edges of the iiat structure dened by the fold lines Z3 and 25. The container thus is transformed into a square tubular structure having the shape and contours illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. This automatically brings the lower end closure 16 into its flat state, closing the bottom end section 14 of the container. The body 13and bottom end section 14 of the container are then telescoped with each other, preferably simply by holding one stationary and pushing the other toward it. It will be apparent that it is only by virtue of the presence of the diamond-shaped openings at the four corners of the container that such telescoping movement is made possible. The telescoping action leads to a number of changes of the interior contours of the container at the junction between the body 13 and the bottom end section 14, which vvill now be described.

Referring particularly to FGS. to 8, as the two parts of the container are telescoped, the bottom end section panels 27b to 30h, which are Iinitially angled inwardly and toward the container body 13 are pivoted rabout their respective fold lines 27a to 30a so as to lie flush against the inner surfaces of the repsective panels 27 to 30. Concurrently therewith, the reduced width end portions 18a and 20u of the body panels 418 and 28 are brought into overlying relationship to the panels 2'7b and 2% (see FIGS. 6, 8 and 9), thereby forming a pair of yieldable tab-like structures extending into 4the confines of the bottom end section 14. The function of these structures will be more fully explained presently.

Reverting now again to the start of the telescoping action, -as the panels 28h and 30h are being p'ivoted as aforesaid, the small intermediate panels 37 and 38 are also pivoted relative to the body panels y19 and 21 about the fold lines 421 and 42, and relative to the panels ZSb and 4 36h about the fold lines 39' and 40. Whenthe panels 28b and 30h finally come to lie flat against the inner surfaces of the panels Z8 and 30, however, the panels 37 and 38 extend therefrom ata predetermined slant inwardly of the section 14 and toward the body 13 (FIGS. 5 and 7), while the reduced width portions 19a and 21a o-f the panels 19 and 21 curve smoothly in toward the innermost edges (fold lines 41 and 42) of the panels 37 and 38.

This ararngement is due 4to the fact that the perpendicular distance from the common -plane of the fold lines 39 and 40 to the imaginary line defining the nearest end of the yfull width portions of the panels 18 to 2,1 is gneater than the perpendicular distance from the common plane of the fold lines 35 and 36 to .the same imaginary line.

The aforesaid tab structures are t-hus seen to impart stability and strength to the container, while also controlling the degree of inward relative telescopin-g movement of the container body and bottom end section and thereby the degree of angular orientation of the panels 37 and 38. More specifically, both this angular orientation and the degree of telescoping movement are essentially a function of the disposition of the fold lines 35 and 36 relative yto the fold lines 41 and 42. Moving the scorings 35 and 36 upwardly, for example, from their illustrated positions relative to the pairs of fold lines 39-41 and tti-t2 would decrease the angle between each of the panels 3'7 and 38 and its associated container side wall. For the purposes of the present invention, the panels 37 and 38 should be oriented at an angle of between about 30 and degrees to the vertical, and preferably at an angle of about 45 degrees to the vertical.

' A stack of nested cups 11 is then placed upright into the container 1t?. The panel 43 of the upper end closure 1S is now bent along the fold line t4 down toward the top end opening of the body 13 of the container, while the side panels 47 and i8 are simultaneously bent under the panel 43 along the fold lines 49 and 5d, and folded in half inwardly along the fold lines 51 and 52. in this manner, a slot-like space is defined between the undersurface of the panel 43 and the upper surfaces of the adjacent panel sections 47a and 48a. The tuck flap 53 is then bent over along the fold line-54 and inserted into this space, completing the locking of the closure 15.

The filled container is now ready for sale and/ or distiibution. At such time, for example when placed on display in a retail store, the container will be positioned with the panel 20 facing upwardly or frontwardly to enable prospective purchasers to view the style, coloring and other features of the cups 11 through the window 7ti- ''ia and to examine such advertising material, trademarks and other pertinent information as may be printed on that face of the container. It will be understood that the container while on display is substantially dust-proof, since the window is sealed by the transparent sheet 70a. of cellophane or other plastic material, the openings 69 and 72 are sealed by the punch-out portions 68 and 71, respectively, and the various panels of the two end closures are tightly interlocked.

In use, the punch-out portion 71 is-simply pushed in from the panel 20, which now becomes the rear panel of the container. The latter is then suspended (FIG. l) from a wall or other supporting surface by fitting the opening 72 over a nail, hook or like element (not shown) yaffixed to said surface. The decorated panels 18, 19 and the assembled container, extend upwardly into the con-` iines of the bottom end section panels 27 and 29 (FiGS.

3 and 4) for easy accessibility. If desired, the punch out portion 68 may also be -removed to uncover the window 69 for the purpose of enabling the user to determine when the supply of cups is nearing exhaustion.

With the bottom end closure 16 removed, the entire stack of cups 11 drops downwardlythrough the container until the tbead or peripheral lip 75 of the lowermost cup 11a engages the inner surfaces of the opposed, inwardly curving, reduced width portions 19a and 21a of the panels 19 and 21 (FIG. 5). It will be readily apparent that the weight of the stack of cups would ordinarily tend to displace these panel portions outwardly. Such action is, however, opposed and effectively rendered impossible by the small upwardly angled panels 37 and 38 which are arranged, in respective orientations offering the maximum resistance to the deformation-causing forces, directly in the potential paths along which the aforesaid panel portions 19a and Zia would be constrained to move. Thus, the combined structures defined by the panels Mib-37 and 301148 in conjunction with the associated reduced width portions M and 21a of the panels 19 and 21 constitute a pair of essentially rigid and unyielding cup-retaining elements and provide therebetween an essentially fixed-width gate for the cups. As previously set forth herein, the tab structures dened by the panels 27h and 2% and their associated reduced width portions 18a and 20a of the panels 18 and 2i) do not serve any cup-retaining function.

To extract a cup from lthe container 10, the user merely pulls the lowermost cup 11a. downwardly, as is customary with such devices, and the arrangement according to the present invention is Such that the chance of more than one cup at a time being drawn from the container is greatly minimized. This advantage of the present invention is clearly illustrated in FIGS. 5, 7 and 9. Thus, when the cup lia is pulled downwardly out of the container lltl, the resistance to its downward movement offered by the aforesaid rigid retaining elements causes the cup to be deformed slightly, i.e. its sides to be pushed inwardly somewhat. This is readily apparent from FIG. 7, which clearly shows that the panel portions 19a and 21a effectively cam the parts of the lip or bead 75 of the cup 11a in engagement therewith inwardly of the cup and theV container. This camming action is eflicaciously maintained during the entire cup movement, since the angular orientations of the panels 37 and 33 are such that the forces exerted iby the moving cup on said panels cannot displace their inwardmost edges, i.e. the fold lines 41 and 42 along Iwhich they adjoin the panel portions 19a and 21a, outwardly toward the container side walls.

It may be assumed, therefore, that by virtue of the inherent springiness of the cups themselves, the concurrent downward movement and lateral inward deformation of the lowermost cup 11a lead to a slight upward displacement of the next cup 1lb and therewith of the entire stack of cups relative to the retaining elements or gate, to the extent, perhaps, of the thickness of one or two cups beads 7S. In this manner, a full separation of the lowermost cup 11a from the next adjacent cup 11b in the stack is effected. As soon as the lowermost cup 11d has been fully extracted, the remainder of the stack returns to the position illustrated in FIG. 5, with the cup 11b now held against passage by the unyielding retaining eiements constituted by the cam panel portions 19a-21a and their respective back-up panels 3'7-2Sb and .3S-3011.

It Iwill be understood from the foregoing description that the present invention provides a dispensing container for flexible paper or synthetic plastic cups which is simple in construction and highly efficacious in operation. Moreover, due to its relative simplicity and the avoidance of the need to provide any auxiliary means for insuring the extraction of only one cup at a time, the container accally `than heretofore known containers of this type.

I claim:

1. In a dispensing container made from flexible sheet material and adapted to contain a plurality of flexible cups nested in a stack; a tubular body having four walls connected to one another along parallel longitudinal fold lines, and a tubular bottom end section having four walls connected to one another along parallel longitudinal fold lines, said walls of said body and said walls of said bottom end section being formed from a unitary blank of said sheet material and connected to one another along respective transverse fold lines for inward and outward telescoping movement of said body and bottom end section relative to one another longitudinally of the container, said body and' bottom end section upon outward relative telescoping movement thereof being transversely collapsible to a flat state, and upon inward relative telescoping kmovement thereof defining at the junctions of two opposed walls of said body with the associated two opposed walls of said bottom end section a pair of relatively rigid and unyielding cup-retaining elements projecting toward one another inwardly of the container, each of said cup-retaining elements comprising a first panel member in rectilinear plane state extending from its associated wall of said bottom end section at an angle of between about 30 and 60 degrees to the vertical in the direction of the junction between said body and said bottom end section of the container, and a second panel member in curvilinear plane state extending from the bottom end region of the associated wall of said body inwardly of the container and into said bottom end section toward its junction with the innermost extremity of said first panel member along a respective one of said transverse fold lines, said second panel members thereby defining respective opposed cam surfaces engageable with the top lip of the lowest cup in the stack, whereby upon downward movement of said lowest cup the same is deformed inwardly at its opposite sides by said cam surfaces to enable said top lip of said lowest cup to clear said innermost extremities of said rst panel members while said retaining elements remain effective to inhibit passage of the next lowest cup in the stack.

2. In a dispensing container according to claim 1; each of said first panel members extending at an angle of about 45 degrees to the vertical.

3. In a `dispensing container according to claim 1; each of the remaining two walls of said bottom end section comprising a third panel member, and each of the remaining two walls of said body comprising a fourth panel member joined to the associated third panel member along a respective one of said transverse fold lines, the distance from the bottom end plane of said bottom end section to the plane of said transverse fold lines between said third and fourth panel members as measured upon outward relative movement between said body and said bottom end section being smaller than the distance from said bottom end plane to the plane of said transverse fold lines between said first and second panel members, the differential between said distances determining the extent of inward relative telescoping movement between said body and said bottom end section of the container as well as the angular orientation of said first panel members upon completion of such inward relative telescoping movement.

4. In a dispensing container according to claim 1; each of the remaining two walls of said bottom end section comprising a third panel member joined thereto by a respective transverse fold line, each of the remaining two walls of said body comprising a fourth panel member joined to the associated third panel member along a respective transverse fold line, and each of said opposed two walls of said bottom end section comprising a fifth panel member joined thereto and to the associated first panel member by a respective pair of transverse fold lines, those of said transverse fold lines located between said third and fifth panel members and the associated parts of said bottom end section walls being coplanar with each other, and the pair of transverse fold lines bounding each of said fth panel membersvbeing spaced farther apart than the pair of transverse fold lines bounding the contiguous first panel member, the distance from the plane of said coplanar transverse fold lines to the plane of said transverse fold lines between said third and fourth panel members as measured upon outward relative movement between said body and said bottom end section being smaller than the distance from said plane of said coplanar transverse fold lines to the plane of said transverse fold lines between said rst and second panel members, the differential between said distances determining the extent of inward relativetelescoping movement between said body and said bottom end section of the container as well as the angular orientation of said irst panel members upon completion of such inward relative telescoping movement.

5. In a dispensing container according to claim 4; said dierential between said distances being such as to orient said rst panel members at an angle of about 45 degrees to the vertical.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,349,074 5/ 1944 Butterman 221-310 2,926,813 3/1960 Marion 221-307 2,991,910 7/1961 Coe 221-305 3,155,276 11/1964 Williamson et al 221-310 LOUIS I. DEMBO, Primary Examiner.

WALTER SOBIN, Examiner. 

1. IN A DISPENSING CONTAINER MADE FROM FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL AND ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A PLURALITY OF FLEXIBLE CUPS NESTED IN A STACK; A TUBULAR BODY HAVING FOUR WALLS CONNECTED TO ONE ANOTHER ALONG PARALLEL LONGITUDINAL FOLD LINES, AND A TUBULAR BOTTOM END SECTION HAVING FOUR WALLS CONNECTED TO ONE ANOTHER ALONG PARALLEL LONGITUDINAL FOLD LINES, SAID WALLS OF SAID BODY AND SAID WALLS OF SAID BOTTOM END SECTION BEING FORMED FROM A UNITARY BLANK OF SAID SHEET MATERIAL AND CONNECTED TO ONE ANOTHER ALONG RESPECTIVE TRANSVERSE FOLD LINES FOR INWARD AND OUTWARD TELESCOPING MOVEMENT OF SAID BODY AND BOTTOM END SECTION RELATIVE TO ONE ANOTHER LONGITUDINALLY OF THE CONTAINER, SAID BODY AND BOTTOM END SECTION UPON OUTWARD RELATIVE TELESCOPING MOVEMENT THEREOF BEING TRANSVERSELY COLLAPSIBLE TO FLAT STATE, AND UPON INWARD RELATIVE TELESCOPING MOVEMENT THEREOF DEFINING AT THE JUNCTIONS OF TWO OPPOSED WALLS OF SAID BODY WITH THE ASSOCIATED TWO OPPOSED WALLS OF SAID BOTTOM END SECTION A PAIR OF RELATIVELY RIGID AND UNYIELDING CUP-RETAINING ELEMENTS PROJECTING TOWARD ONE ANOTHER INWARDLY OF THE CONTAINER, EACH OF SAID CUP-RETAINING ELEMENTS COMPRISING A FIRST PANEL MEMBER IN RECTILINEAR PLANE STATE EXTENDING FROM ITS ASSOCIATED WALL OF SAID BOTTOM END SECTION AT AN ANGLE OF BETWEEN ABOUT 30 AND 60 DEGREES TO THE VERTICAL IN THE DIRECTION OF THE JUNCTION BETWEEN SAID BODY AND SAID BOTTOM END SECTION OF THE CONTAINER, AND A SECOND PANEL MEMBER IN CURVILINEAR PLANE 